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The Herald, 1904-08-26, Page 7:o9e"'°heiYee sus olee.easseen,er"'Iseseeii.e9 este ttair"°i+ eele.cev tieel ij Pw4t9° 1q ".Hush!" commanded the other, rat glance at the sextan, who la tered from rear, with a la.nter 'l'u!t out the light at the altar. is in bad taste to be ivrreve here. Who are you', and w,ho is girl, who has evidently been t ed into coning here to plight hand and fortune to 'a villain a fortuee-hunter?" "`Never mind wlto I am— n +mind who the girl is !" muttered the startled "best man" do a sul- len tone.' "I thought there was something queer about you you first appeared upon the se B'u't where in thunder' is Levgh Eerhaps," he added, with sudden viotion, "you are responsible fo non-appearance. Brut, be that may, of course you understand the trick, which you have eo C1 ly Played upon 'es to -night is marriage — that you are no g er by the farce." "'Where is the certificate ? I take that piece of paper, if please," said the stranger, utter- ly ignorng the remarks of his com- panion. "'Not if I know myself ! What do you take me for ? That, at least, belongs to my friend, if the bride doesn't," ..w s the sneering re- sponse, as the groomsman deftly slipped away from the clutch upon his shoulder, and backed away to a safe distance. "'Give it to mel, I say !" hoarsely commanded the other, making a second dive at him, But the fellow dodged him, sprang to the door, and the next mo- ment had mounted the carriage box. beside 'the driver. At a word from him, and the crack of a wlmip, the horses dashed out into the high- way, and the vehicle disappeared in the darkness., Tho stranger stood looking af- ter it for a moment, with a thoughtful air ; then he turned back into the church, where he put a question or two to the sextohm,af- ter which he hurried, with quick, elastic steps, to the shed back of the church, !where he had left leis horse. Vaulting into his saddle, lie rode swiftly away le the opposite direction to that welch the par - siege had taken, Meantime Florence had, recove consciousnebe, indeed, she began revive almost immediately, after t carriage ' nasi everted, and t cool, damp air from the open dow; swept into her lungs. Sitting up, she looked about lm with trembling perplexity, a putting out her hand to find on her mold beside her, she gave u teranee to a long sigh of cell then burst into violent weeping. Anna strove to reassure and quiet her, but with little encouragement, for her sobs did not cease until she was too exhausted to weep MOTs. . o The carriage stopped at this mo- ment, and, as the door was opened, both girls speedily alighted, eager to get safely within the shelter of their 'home once more. The clouds were rapidly dispers- ing, and the stars were shining brilliantly in the patches of blue could be seen betw,een them•. As the young man assisted Flor- ence to the ground, he remarked, in • a low tone; "'I am very sorry we should have had 'such a storm, and that .you should have been so frightened. Are you fully recovered ?" "'Yes," the fair girl briefly re- sl:ondecl, but shivering with repul- sion, as she released her hand from his clasp•. She felt heartily glad that she did not know the man, for she was sure she would always regard him ;with repulsion, of she was oblige to meet him as an acquaintance of ter the experiences of that night Without another word, she spe through the gate, which he opene for her, and hastened toward th house, closely folloeved by Ann both girls experiencing a sense infinite relief as the sound of th ;wheels died away in the distance They let themselves into the man sion Very quietly, just as the sloe struck tate hour of eleven, and stol noiselessly tip .to Florence's room, where they spent the remainder of the night together, Florence in- sisting that she was too nervous and exhausted to be left alone. "Oh, Anna, what a horrible . ex- perience this has been !" murmured Florence, brokenly. "'Indeed it has, Miss Florence," the girl returned, shivering at the remembrance of the storm. "I've never known such a violent thun- derstorm, and I'd have given all my old shoes to have been safe at home when those awful claps yarn°. It was a wild night for a wedding, and I only hope 'it isn't- a sign that 'you're going to have a stormy life. Was it the fright that made you faint ?" A great shock went quivering through Florence at this question, for it plainly tolc1 her that 'the girl wag utterly ignorant of the reale cause of her swoon—that she had not a suspicion that she had been wedded to ba. perteint stranger. le odd It bis possible, she asked her - Self, that the other members of the Party had also been deceived, and be- 1!eved .that She had really been made the wife of Walter Leighton ? Should oho undeceive them, or would it be �pttelr to keep the secret to herself, with telegraph Walter to come to her d en- early, in the morning, to explain his n, to absence, and consult with him what "et , to do in her perplexity ? rent ! If the marriage ceremony was not this legal, they could both keep their own rick- I counsel, be really married at the ear - her 1 Rest opportunity, sa.ucl thus save all and ' gossip about the affair. But—did she really want to' be re - ever cognized es Walter Leig'iton's wife ? Did' she wish to marry him now, un- der any circumstances ? She shivered slightly, as these que- ries pressed themselves upon her • when eve. 'then a great ioad'seemed suddenly to ton? roll off her heart. No, she was con- con-ecioiis of a sense of deep gratitude ; r his a great throb.of wild joy and thank - as it fulness, that almost made her faint that again, 'went pulsing through her ever- .heart, in Mew of the fact that she no was not his wife—bound irrevocably ain- to him for all time. This revulsion of feeling which now will took possession of her was as coin- will piste as it was sudden, and she won- dered how She could ever have con- sented, to take such a. rash step; she must have been mad to think of such a thing—to have listened for a mo- ment to Wader's proposals of a sec- ret marriage. t , 1 But w rere could Walter have been all this time ? What could have de- tained him from an event of ,such vital importance—at least to him ? Who was the stranger who had so mysteriously appeared to take his place ? How, had he happened to pre- sent himself se opportunely, and how lead he dared to personate the missing bridegroom ? Was she really marr:ed to him ? Would the ceremony be regarded as binding, from a legal point of view ? C:ould it be possible that she w;a,s the wife of a man whom, until that moment at the al- tar, ehe had never seen, and whom, sholci, she ever unmet him again, she doubted that she would recognize ? She did not believe the deremony could be legal, and yet, somehow, she felt as if she were irrevocably pledg- ed to this myptorious stranger. Surely, no girl w,as ever placed In such a strange predicament before ; but upon one Thing she was resolved —no one should be allowed to believe her the wife of "Walter Leighton, for whom, she now knew, she had red never entertained one particle of re tl affeetion. f t t to "Oh !" she gratefully breathed to ire }:erselt. '.:I have barely eseaped cone he mitting the greatest mistake of my win- life! 1 see it now—and Walter was self sir, cowardly and unprincipled to er, ` urge me to such; a, step, against my nd, t inclinations." ly All these thoughts had flashed t- through her mind with almost light- er, ging-like rapidity, during a brief in- terval of fesita,tion, before answer- ing Anna's question. . "No, Anna," s::e said at length, "it was not fright that made me faint." "T,hen it must Mame been the ex- citement," said tee girl, wondering ,somewhat at Ler young mistress' strangely grave tones. "Possibly that may have had some- thing to do Lir it, but it was chief- ly owing to a. terrible ,shock that I received.' "A Aback!" From the lightni•eg ?" queried simple Anna. "No, indeed. Is It possible, Anna, that you did not observe anything peculiar about the ceremony to - "'No, I'm sure I didn't ; only that It was the most uncanny affair of the kind that it was ever my luck to be mixed up in," said the girl. "Did you not notice anything strange about air.—Mr. Leighton ?" "No ; only I thought he might, at least, have turned down the collar or his mackintosh ; it concealed his face so that one could scarcely see a bit of it. But I suppose, in the hurry and confusion of being late at his own wedding, lie didn't think of it." "Anna," sail I'1:.'renes, impressively, t1' "tee moan had a good reason for keele- d Ing .hu, face concealed—ha wasn't Mr. Leighton at all--" e l "Good l:easens ! Mss Florence, Anna surely you are crazy !" excitedly in - e t'erporsed the girl. "No ; I ane perfectly sane—more E0, I believe, than 1 have been at any time during the last, year," gravely Be. responded Florence. '•I must have been crazy, I think, when I con- sented to such a clandestine es- capade as this. But the man who stood 'besiao me to -night, and went through that ceremony, was an atter stranger to me, and it was the discovery of this tact that gave me the shock and caused ;me to faint." "Good gracious. I don't wonder. Homy �ca,me he there ? How did he ever dare, do sunt a, bold thing? And where could Me. Leighton have been ?" cries) the girl, in great ex- citement. "I am surd I do not know—I can- not answer one of your questions, I, too, wo.dar haw Iva dared at- tempt such ain audacious bet, and `what. his motive could have been." "And you haven't the slightest idea who he was?'~' inquired Anna, curiously. "Not the faintest. I could not see his face distinctly, for his col- lar came up so high that it concealed the lower portion. But his eyes were dark, and Mr. Leigh,ton's are blue ; his hair wee almost black, and curled about his templos, while Mr. Leighton's is brown and perfectly straight." "You Couldn't even tell, then; Whether he . was nice lcokitii ?" queried the mold eagerly, d and be - ginning to enjoy time romantic tuye texy of the affair, now. that the first shook had passed. "No; Iouly knew that he was not Walter." responded Florence, !vith a nervous shiver. "'And you wonld never know him If you should meet bile again ? "tt amu sure I ()heel(' not. Oh, it is dreadful, Just think of it—to have been married to a man you do not know, and could not identify if you were to meet b,lm within the next hour." And Florence broke into ner- vous weeping again. "Nonsense, bliss Floy ! That was no marriage. The man coul:ln't hold you to it," said Anna, le aL comfort- ing tone. "Perhaps not ; and yet, somehow, I feel eel if I had given myself away," said the fair girl, dejectedly. Nevertheless, in spite of the per- plexing predivament in which she found herself, she experienced more and more relief over the fact that site was not the wife of Walter Leighton. Presently elm restrained her tears, and turned again to her companion, - "Anna," she said with unusual en- ergy and authority, "von must pro- mise me that you will never reveal whab has occurred to -night." 'Or course, I will never tell any- one about ft, Miss Florence," the gel emphatically asserted ; "wild horses couldn't drag it from me. But how- about these men who went with us to the church ? Do you sup- pose they will keep the secret?" "Anna„ I do not believe they sus- pect the truth—I am sure they think that I was 'nee -Med to 'bir. Leigh- ton," answered Florence. "But they are sure• to know it when they see Mr. Leighton," re- turned the girl, quickly. "True, I did not think of that ; but I feel sure tJuat he will bind them also to secrecy. Olt, why did I ever allow him to pr•'rsuede me into such a step? I should be mortified, be- 1 yonc measure, to become the tar- get for a scandal," said Florence, dejectedly. "Miss Floy, where do you sup- pose Mr. Leighton was to -night? What kept him ?" queried the maid, f curiously. That is a mystery : the storm, 1 perhaps." t Do yon imagine that—anything conhl have happened to him '" Florence started at the question. i "Oh, I hope not!" she exclaimed, a with a quick catch in her breath. o "What a night this has been," she I continued. with a shudder; "but ,it e has tnuctht me a lesson—whatever e I shall do after this Omit be open i and straightforward." r Slie did not once close her eyes in restful slumber. She tossed, rest- re lessly, upon her pollow, the whole i night through, and when morning broke she was in a high fever and i raving in delirium. e 01 course, this unlooked-for con- t tretemps necessitated the aban- d donment—at Ieast temporarily —of the European trip, for the physician i who was iummonol,grayely declared c that his patient would:bet be able to travel under a month or els weeks, t and perhaps not even then. }s Accordingly, Mr. Seaver surrend ed his tickets and state -rooms, a indefinitely Postponed the voyage CHAPTER IV. :"Meantime, let us ascertain what had happened to the missing bride- groom. It will be remembered that he had observed to Florence, on taking leave of her in the arbor, that he had much to attend to before even- ing. r His first act was to seek out a A couple of cronies, and charge them fo with the mission of procuring a car- riage and going for his bride -elect a at the hour appointed. st "Here is the ircense, Ted," he ob- served to one of them, as he handed sy to him the important document•,"and ho I have already sentlword to a certain di clergyman to be sure and be on hand. se But. to save time, if you arrive at cie the church feet, as• you probably will, ty hand it to him, that he may see it is all right, and there will be noth- br ing to delay the ceremony when I via come, I Will join, you at the earliest A moment—by nine -thirty, sure. Now, ist I must be off, for every moment is o precious." t 1 sel Ho ha,d am important commission to m execute out of town, and, hastening th to hi,s train, he was soon speedieg on blot way. sta If his train had arrived on time, to all would have gone well for him ; pu but a local freight, going in the op- we posite direction, had been derailed, the and the deibri.s of a demolished ear wh lay across the track. The inward- cou bound train was thus delayed near- cou ly two hours. 4 T It was nearly eight o'olock when ed the impatient lover finally reached tho the a sty, and he was obliged to take ral another lino, in order to reach the adv suburb where rl1r. Beaver's summer a s residence was located, and where lie offe also had taken up his abode in order ing) to be near Florence. ed It was. after nine when he arrived. Dep Irritated beyond measure at being 1. so delayed, and hungry, too, from long fa.eti„g--for he had partaken of sou a very light lunch—he hurried away pub to a livery stable, without even go- tam ing ;to hie rooms to make any change time in bis clothing, as Ire had fully in- lion tended to do, ordered a conveyance, of 1 and started fur Rosedale chapel to eael meet his bride -elect. held But the sky had grown black with ly 1 the coming storm, axtd he was not In fag• on his way when it burst, with men, all Its fury, Dep 23 s horse was !'mid, and every flash of lightning, with its accompanying 1 leer artillery, caused him to shy out of the road, thus nearly overturning the 'buggy several times. ! Leighton wasextremely irritated because he was so far behind time, and lashed the fr'glatened animal to lits to -most speed. He was within a half mile of les destination,. when there oxine a blinding flash,. follow- ed by am, terrific armee which caus- ed the horse to spring into the air, with a enort of fear, then plunge madly forward, At that i.n:st:n.nt, one of the traces snapped in twAti th buggy e out of it's course, and ran ove boulder on the side of the road,�p ing the unfortunate driver out • the mire, where, stunned by the lie lay, unconscious, wire)() his reek steed galloped onward, tencihec the uninjared buggy Clattering a heels, and finally dashed into spacious grounds of an elegant idence, where. be was found, sta ing; under a tree, after the storm the coachman, of the place. When Leighton finallyi came to 1 self, the tempest, !gas over, th'r clo were rapidly dispersing, and the st were shining brightly. With a gr of pain, for he was sadly bru from Iris fall, he raised himself t settle* posture, drew. forth his tea struck a match, and looked at dial. It was exactly a quarter to ele He had lain in the mud nearly t hours, and he was drenched to skin. He swore angrily. "Too late 1” he muttered ; "for course, they would never wait me until this )tour.." If he had but known it, the retu i.ng party had 'passed .him ab twenty minutes previous, and It very fortunate that he had fol Inc enough to one side to escape ing run over by their equipage. He attempted to rise, but fo himself so stiff and sore in ev joint he was obliged to settle b again ; yet he was greatly comic) el to know, that he was abler to so at all. "Thank goodness, no bones broken," be breathed, with a sigh relief. "It's a, wonder, though, th my neck was not dislocated by th nasty fall. Gad 1 but I must get and find my way to some place refuge—I cannot stay here. in t slough all night." 'With difficulty, he struggled to feet, 'and limped forward, hoping th re 'would soon come to some dw ing, where he could seek shelter f the night. 1/4 But, presently, the welcome sou of wheels fell upon his eager ea and, a market wagon appeared sight, and going in the directs rom• which, he had corse. Ito hailed the driver, told him lis accident, and begged a ride ba o town. The ma.n was kind-hearted, }tele tim up to the seat beside him, ma ng him as Comfortable as possib rid, an hour later, left him in h wn room, where, lame, sore—a ser ookin.g object Indeed, and in an u nviable frame_ of mind—he crept nviable frame. of mind—he er nto his bed, from which h he did n lye for a week or more. He was in a high fever time ne orning, and almost wile from an sty and suspense, waren his friend best man" made his appearance, nterview liim regarding the deli+ ney of the previous night, and repo he strange occurrence at the Ros ale chapel. Leighton'.$ state of mind may magined a; he listened to the a omit of that -mysterious marring "Who was he --who t1uc; that co err,ptibie dastard 7" he cried, almo reilde himself with rage and jea rt r a itelr- into fall, less ked, t his the les- , by dm. uds 'tis oan ised o teh, the vena lvo the of for en - out was len be - and er'y rick rt- ovo are of at at up of his his at el - or nd rs, in on of ck ed le, is ry n - to opt of xt' t to t 1 Pr- oust', nd (Tn be Continued.) , 'GOVERNMENT AID o Horse Breeding;—Ar'Outiine of the Irish System. Department of AUrmoulture, Commissioner's .Branch, In the year 1900 the Departureit cf griculture and Technical lnstrnctibn r Ireland devised a scheme for encoue. ging improvement in the breed of oak, particularly of horses and enttic, )tat country. An outline of the Irish stem may be of interest to Canadian rsemen, who have for some lime been scussing the problem of ob iv; nin for rvice throughout the country a suii'i- nt number of the most pr enable pes. Horse Breeding Scheme—sehe ►•,;. se ceding scheme, as outlined by tho Ad- ory Committee and approved 1 the gricultural Board, provided 'or the ration of suitable and sound thee ughbred and agricultural sires, and the ection of a number of the best brood ares in each country to be served by ese sires. The owner of a 'regist'ered Ilion is entitled, tinder the scheme, a fee of £3 for each selected mare t to his stallion. The mares selected re the property of persons deriving it means of living from farming, ese valuation did not exceed in the reties £150, and in the more wealthy ntiec £200. he first year 410 stallions were offer - for registration, of which 298 were roughbred and 112 of the agricultu- type. From the first it was deemed isable to spare no pains in making earehing examination of the stallions Md. for registration, and, according - y, before any of the stallions offered under the scheme were accepted, the artnment's inspectors had to certify As to suitability, and 2, as to the nclness of the animal. A register was lished in March, 1901, which con- ed the names and pedigrees of 97 roughbred and 31 agricultural stal- 1 that had been accepted. Upwards ,800 free nomination tickets of £3 t were offered at 150 shows of mares during March and April, and near - ,700 of these tickets were issued. addition to subsidizing stallions by ns of £3 nominations to mares, the artment offered in a few countries where there. was au insuffieient num- of stallions for the purpose of the scheme, premiums varying from £50 to £100. Loans for the Purchase of Stallious.— In order to encourage farmers of small means to provide themselves with a registered stallion a stun of money was allotted by the Department for the pur- pose of granting loans for the purpose of approved sires. The money .was lent at 2?r per cent. interest, payable in five annual instalments. It )vas a condition precedent to those loans that the animal should be insure�I for its full market Premiums for Female 'Stock. --Aa m further means of encouraging improvee- inent in stock breeding the Department adopted the principle of awarding prem- iums and prizes tot female stock. The, ,!Advisory Committee on horse breeding pointed out that that industry in Ire- land is, to a great extent, injured by young mares being sold out of the coun- try, thus leaving only second-class atoll vials for breeding,purposes, and the De- partment adopted their recommendation! that the prizes and premiums should be' mainly confined to young mares from two to six years old, served by a regis- tered sire, in the hope that the farmers would thereby be induced to retain these mares. Yours very truly, W. A. ANAEMIA -POOR BLOOD. Headaches, Dizziness, heart Palpita- tion and Consumption Follow. Anaemia—watery blood—is a treach- erous trouble. It steals inasamously from slight symptoms to dangerous disease. The thin, watery blood shows itself at first in pale lips, wan face, breathless - mess, heart palpitation, lost 'appetite. If the trouble is not checked and cured, consumption follows; coughing, spitting, clammy night sweats, a total breakdowns and death. What the anaemic sufferer needs is more blood—more strength. And there is nothing iu the whole wide world will give new blood and new strength so surely and so speedily as Dr. Williams' Pink Pills. Every dose helps to send new, rich, red blood coursing through the sys- tem, bringing strength to weak lungs and all parts of the body. Thousands testify to the truth of these statements, among them Miss Eserine VeIendre, St, Germain, Qu e., who says: "While a.ttend- ing school my health began to give way. The trouble came on gradually and the doctor who attended me amid it was due to overstudy and that at rest would put me right. But instead of getting better I grew weaker. I suffered from head- aches and dizzziness, and at night I did not sleep well. I was troubled with pains in the back, my appetite left me, and I grew pale as a corpse. Finally I became so weak I was i or us.i to :amain in bed. As the doctor did not help me any, I asked my father to get me Dr. Williams' Pink Pills. Before I lead used two boxes there was an improvement, and when. I had taken a half dozen boxes I was again in perfect health. I believe all weak girls will find new health if they will take the pills." Anemia, indigestion, heart trouble, rheumatism, kidney trouble, and the spe- cial ailments of women are all due to poor bleed, and all are cured by Dr. Williams'. Pink Pills. You can get .these pills from any medicine dealer, or by mail post paid at 50 cents a box or six boxes for $2.50 by writing the Dr. Wil- liams' "Medicine (.b., Brockville, Ont. TO AVOID ACCIDENTS ON WATER. Apropos of the Slocum disaster, a little advice front such a well-known au- thority as Caspar Whitney, editor of Outing, wall be welcome. He writes in August Opting: So many lives are loot each season on the water by criminal carelessenas and ignorance, that, at the risk of being trite, I am repeating a few timely dente for those who number rowing or sailing among their summer recreations. First—Do not go out in a canoe, row- boat or sailboat, small or large, unless it carries enough life-saving buoys or cushions to float all on board in case of an upset or collision. Second—Do not go out in a sailboat except with a skipper of experience. Many a boatload is upset through the mistaken idea,. prevalent at summer re- sorts, that any one can handle a small sailboat. In case of fatal accident, the guilty, incompetent skipper should get ten years' imprisonment at hard labor. Third—In case of a party in a row- boat, be sure you are finally seated be- fore leaving shore, particularly if there are girls. Permit no one to attempt to change seats after leaving shore, or to put a foot on the edge or gunwale of the boat, to exchange seats, or to rock the boat, Rocking boats for fun by rollicking young people loses many lives every year. Where the waters become rough from a sudden squall or a passing steamer, never rise in the boat, but set- tle down as close to the bottom as pos- sible, until the water is smooth again —and don't scream or talk to the oars- man. Fourth—If overturned, a non -swim- mer by drawing the arms up to the sides and pushing down with widely extended hands, while stair -climbing or treading water tvith the feet, may keep up sev- eral minutes, often when a single min- ute means life; or throwing out the arms, dog fashion, forward, overhand, and pulling in, as if reaching for some- thing, may keep one at least afloat until help comes. A woman's skirts, held out by her extended arms, while she uses her feet as if climbing stairs, will often keep her up until rescued. -- Caspar Whitney in August Outing. A DANGER TO BABY. Doctors have preached against the so-called soothing medicines for years, but they are still used altogether too much. The fact that they put children to sleep is no sign that they are help- ful. .Ask your doctor and he will tell you that you have merely drugged your little one into insensibility—that sooth- ing medicines are dangerous. If your little one needs a medicine give it Baby's Own Tablets and you give it a medicine guaranteed to contain no opi- ate or harmful drag. You can give these Tablets just as safely as a new born in- fant as to the well.- grown child, and they will cure all the minor ills of child- hood. Mrs. J. M. Gilpin, Bellhaven, Ont., says. "Since I gave my little one Baby's Own Tablets there has been a marvel- lous change in her appearance, and she • is growing splendidly. You may count me always a friend to the Tablets." Ase: your druggist for this medicine or send 25c to the Dr. Williams' Medicine Co,, Brookville, Ont., and get a box by ambit o see value. post pall.